Thursday 12 May 2011 13.17 EDT
First published on Thursday 12 May 2011 13.17 EDT

This week, at the Sport Industry Awards, the trio of Andy Flower, Andrew Strauss and Hugh Morris were given the Leadership in Sport accolade, recognition, in particular, of England's Ashes success, something in no way diluted by the subsequent disappointing World Cup. Well earned in fact. The Ashes campaign was certainly the most meticulously prepared and well-resourced cricket tour undertaken by England, and probably any side. If the tour went even better than anyone dared hope, then for that reason alone it deserved success.

So when this week Flower as coach, Strauss as captain and the back-room staff began their two days of winter debriefing with Morris, the managing director of England Cricket, it might seem that there was little of which to talk except on a positive note. Certainly, the aspects of the tour that went so well should not be ignored. But the meeting, if it has value, ought not to be so much a retrospective (and no backslapping jolly) as a means of using that success as a pointer to the future. How best to adapt the education from the Australian experience to future tours? In spite of the result, were there things that did not go right or could have been done better?

What went right was the selection of the tour party, the itinerary at the start and the manner in which it was used, and the way in which the team were prepared, going back even to the post-season Germany trip which, incredibly arduous as it was, taught an early lesson about the value of comradeship, responsibility and the capacity to dig deep into mental and physical reserves when things got tough. They were extremely fit.

The lead-up was excellent, with the expected Test side playing the games on the Test grounds in Perth and Adelaide, and the second attack disposing of Australia A in Hobart. This was important because it confirmed to the management that, far from having a first-choice attack, with back-up, henceforth they had a squad of bowlers from which to select as appropriate for the conditions and all capable of stepping up. The exact template cannot be replicated for every tour but the general principle will hold good. Other positive elements included the manner in which they were able to handle the pressure of the series and, in particular, produce winning first-innings totals.

Yet beyond that Flower recognises that there are elements that can be improved. For example, there is a belief that some of the management decision-making could be more proactive, head ruling rather than heart. Take the case of Steven Finn. The team for the first Test had been pencilled in by the start of the tour but not beyond that. For the second Test in Adelaide, a strong case could be made for Finn to be replaced by Ajmal Shahzad, who had been selected specifically with the particular demands of that venue in mind. Finn's wickets in Brisbane, figures flattered a little by the manner of some dismissals, brought a change of heart, possibly regretted early on in Adelaide, and although Finn did contribute some valuable wickets it was evident that he was leaking runs at odds with the strategy.

By Perth, the overwhelming win in Adelaide kept him in when, rather than debating which of Tim Bresnan or Chris Tremlett should play instead of the injured Stuart Broad, the answer was both. Had Bresnan played, there is a belief that England might have won that game.

In future, they will be able to recognise that they have a squad of capable pace bowlers, with a rotation policy, although rest will be for some and not for others. "The idea is to optimise their performance," says Flower, "although there are some who might feel that if one rests, they too should be entitled. This is not the point. The rest is so that they can return to perform at their utmost. It is certainly not one size fits all. Some do not and will not get the same degree of rest."

Perth and a year before that, the Wanderers in Johannesburg, provided evidence of Flower's concern that the batsmen in particular do not adapt sufficiently quickly when confronted with conditions unusual to them. At the Waca, where there was pace and bounce, they were given an object lesson in how to play by Mike Hussey, who knows the ground intimately. Some, Flower believes, do not acknowledge there is a problem in the first place, a starting post for any rehabilitation. Devising a training strategy to deal with that will be a priority.